Disability Services

The mission of the Disability Services Office at Hopkinsville Community College is to ensure individuals with documented disabilities equal access to all educational opportunities under the guidelines of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The office provides a variety of assistive services, which are tailored to individual student needs.

The Disability Services Coordinator serves as a liaison between you and your instructor. You may request accommodations through the Disability Services Office, located on the Hopkinsville Campus in the Administration Building, Room 115. If you attend classes at the Fort Campbell Campus, the Disability Services Coordinator and the Fort Campbell Campus Director will coordinate a meeting at your convenience.

The process of receiving accommodations through Disability Services involves a few simple steps:

Meet with the Disability Services Coordinator to discuss individual needs and concerns to best develop a plan of accommodations.

Work with the Disability Services Coordinator to establish how much information you wish to disclose and to whom you wish to disclose it to best facilitate your accommodations.

Documentation of the disability and the need for accommodations must be provided before services can be evaluated. You are encouraged to make contact with the Disability Services Office at least two weeks prior to the first day of class. Four week notification is encouraged for hearing impairment or vision issues. Advance notification allows the Disability Services Coordinator time to arrange appropriate accommodations early enough to be most effective and helpful to you.

Written verification of a disability can be accepted from:

Medical personnel (physician, psychologist, psychiatrist)

Vocational rehabilitation counselor

Therapist (occupational, physical, speech)

Documentation of a disability must:

Utilize the official letterhead of the diagnosing practitioner

Show the license and/or certification of the practitioner

Contain evidence of a recent evaluation

Describe the nature of the disability (a recognizable diagnosis)

List the date of the first diagnoses

List names of relevant tests and results

Describe the severity of the disability

Describe the current method of treatment

Include any recommendations that my help you succeed in the classroom

Once the disability has been verified, a confidential ADARequest for Accommodation notification will be forwarded to your instructors within one week of receipt by the Disability Services Office. Once documentation is complete, you must initiate contact with your instructors to review and discuss the agreed-upon accommodations for the class. HCC encourages early student-instructor communication for all students to support success. While documentation does not have to be provided each semester, you must register with Disability Services each semester. If you require assistance during an emergency evacuation, you must register with Disability Services at the beginning of each semester.